Back in July I received a comment on a blog post, after asking readers what the subject of my next blog post should be. One reader, Denise, chimed in with the topic of “persuading school systems and communities to recognize the foundational importance of classical music and cultivating a lifelong appreciation.” I like it.
I’m currently teaching a class for the University of Alabama’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. In a nutshell, OLLI is a program that is designed for “mature adults” with the basic premise being “learning for the pure joy of learning.”
What a great concept! Adults come and take classes on music, history, computers, languages – you name it. There are no tests, no homework, no age limitations – just an open, exciting learning environment where students who share common interests come to brush up on things they are already familiar with, or to add new learning experiences.
It begs the question – how do we take this love of and desire for learning and transfer it from the world of “mature adults” to the realm of those we should be working hard every day to reach – young people?
My class this semester for OLLI is on European Musical Masters. Each week, for 90 minutes, we focus on one of the great European composers – Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and such. And each week there are 20-25 eager students in class, ready to learn more about the day’s topic. It’s fun for the students, and it’s fun for the teacher too, because it gives me an opportunity to refresh my memory on things I may have forgotten from music history courses of long ago. In doing so, it also reenergizes me and generates new excitement for each topic.
So how do we transfer this to our young people? And, as Denise suggested, what is the role of school systems and communities in creating lifelong learners, especially in the area of classical music?
It is no secret that classical music has suffered tremendously, not just in the current economic climate, but for the past 15-20 years. The sale of classical recordings has been on the decline for at least 10 years. Orchestras across the country – major orchestras, like San Diego and San Antonio – have shut their doors, and others like Detroit and St. Louis are either in danger of or have been miraculously rescued from falling over the edge. And let’s face it – as orchestras have been inclined to say over the past two decades, their audiences are literally dying.
So let’s open up the discussion – what can WE do to solve this problem and create a new climate of engagement and learning in the world of classical music?